The invention is directed to the field of clocks, such as digital clocks, and is also directed to the field of electronic devices that incorporate a clocking element.
Electronic clocks, such as digital clock radios, are ubiquitous devices that exist in virtually every household and office environment. Further, electronic clocks are incorporated into many products, such as consumer electronics products, including, for example, video cassette recorders (VCRs), microwave ovens, and stereos. Also, many devices maintain a clock for use for other purposes in addition to, or instead of the conventional display purpose. For example, an electronic device can maintain an internal clock for use in operating according to an automated program. An example is a VCR that is programmed to record a specific program at a certain time. Another example is a telephone answering device that maintains a clock to support a feature whereby the telephone answering device announces the time associated with an incoming call when that incoming call is later announced to a user.
In each of the above cases, the functioning of the electronic component is less than optimal if the clock setting is inaccurate. For example, if the announced time associated with an incoming message stored in a telephone answering device is inaccurate, then its value to the user is somewhat diminished since knowledge of the exact or approximate time that the message arrived may be of value in certain situations. Further, if an electronic device, such as a VCR, is programmed to operate during certain hours, and the device instead operates at different hours because an internal clock is inaccurate, the functioning of that electronic device may be less than optimal. For example, an electronic device that automatically turns lights on and off while a homeowner is absent in order to give passers-by the impression that the homeowner is at home, may perform less than optimally if the electronic device turns the lights on only during daylight hours. Finally, it is clearly evident that an electronic clock, such as a clock radio, is not performing optimally if it is displaying an inaccurate time. A minor inaccuracy can cause a minor inconvenience, such as causing a user to be slightly late for an appointment. However, a major inaccuracy can cause even further harm, by, for example, causing a user to wake up late and therefore miss work, school, etc.
There are many ways that the time base for an electronic clock can become inaccurate. For example, daylight savings time causes the time to change in the spring and fall each year. If not adjusted by the user, the time will be incorrect for much of the year. For example, if a telephone answering machine is not adjusted by the user, the time announced in association with a stored incoming message is, in fact, off by an hour during an appreciable portion of the year. If the user elects not to update the time, the user must remember that the time is off by an hour, and must also recall in which direction the time is off, such that the user knows whether to add an hour or to subtract an hour from the announced time. This can clearly be an inconvenient hassle.
Another way in which the time stored by an electronic clock can become inaccurate is when there is a power interruption, such as during a thunder storm, at which time all or most of the clocks within a household may be reset to twelve o""clock. As with the daylight savings time example, when this occurs, the user must reprogram all of the affected clocks within the household if the user desires the clocks to be accurate.
There is a need, therefore, for a clocking element that updates automatically when the clocking element becomes inaccurate.
A clocking element that automatically updates when it becomes inaccurate is provided according to the invention. Such a clocking element includes a processor, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor. It further includes a wireless telephone receiving module that is coupled to the processor. The wireless telephone receiving module is adapted to receive wireless communication signals, such as wireless telephone calls, and to extract temporal information therefrom. Further, the processor is adapted to receive the temporal information from the wireless receiving module and to perform an updating function based thereon. This updating function can be based on a threshold, such that, for example, if the clocking information stored within the device differs from that received by the wireless receiving module by more than a predetermined amount, then the device will update the clocking information to match that provided by the wireless receiving module.
In an alternative embodiment according to the invention, a method of maintaining a timing value includes the steps of receiving a communication signal, extracting temporal information from the communication signal, and updating the timing value based on the temporal information. The extracting step can include extracting timing data from a time of day field in the temporal information, and the updating step can include comparing the extracted timing data to the previous timing value and updating the timing value based on the comparison. In one embodiment, the updating step is implemented gradually so that the change in the timing value does not occur abruptly and is, thus, not readily apparent to the user.